Need for a Change ??

We are Indians and we love to talk. We are proud of our Right of freedom of Speech, though little realising what this right actually means.. We will talk everything to everyone save our own self { introspection } .. We are ready everytime almost anywhere to make way into the personal spaces of everyone before even stepping into our own shoes.. And after acquiring an input about a persona we are ready to process the inputs and criticize or applaud that person even before we realise how much ground do we have to make..

We have issues of our own, and we can very well debate on them, blast off weapons of words, but little do we realise what is it that really draws the thin line between powerful and show-off words; and, the truth deep within... Recently an argument was taking place between few of my friends as to why China is ahead of India.. I dont know as to which field were they referring to and comparing .. But I preferred to be a listener in the duel of words { which I usually do and people ignorantly and innocently post their comments on this act of mine } . I was now witness to a historic exchange of words which helped me to know how cunningly my friends would interpret this matter.. Here are some of the plethora of opinions I got as to 'where' China leads and not 'why' which was the original topic.. :

· " China can produce cheaper items "

· " China has better infrastructure "

· " The Chinese are more skilled "

· " Their GDP is far much higher "

· " Most workstations and production units are on their land "

Some poor souls tried to come to why but ended up naively blaming the democratic set-up compared to the communist set-up. Not accepting the defeat of his own country, one bluntly said it is "Emotional front" that we will always be leading..

This whole churning of thoughts helped me a lot where it was an open and shut case for the speakers.. The basic aim of this post is not to bring out why or where India lags but it is to bring out the unfortunate maladies of the Indian society.. These honourable speakers were very vociferous when it came to theories and war-of-words; but as soon as it came to practicality, no one dared to do something which could have really created an impact.. Let me come back to these practical steps but let us for once look at China..

The Chinese over power us in the economic, industrial, infrastructure and production spheres not due to some flimsy reasons as mentioned above.. They score brownie points over us because they have a work culture which is above everything else. They are commited towards nation's development more than we think we are. They believe in themselves and win half of the battles with their determination and mental framework.. It is very sad to note that this thinking is not engrained in our mind-set. We are still belligerent with the ideas of a cynical society, a selfish "chalta-hai" attitude.. We are willing to work for only for ourselves and still peep into lives of others.. Then what the hell are we thinking about how our tainted netas will sow seeds of miraculous development..

The Chinese talk little and depend on their actions.. They have a fore-sight which we wont have even 50 years from now.. Has anyone got an answer as to why the Chinese stunned the whole world by posting a success not only by hosting a grand olympics but also by their medal tally, when at the same time we Indians cannot even prepare New Delhi for Commonwealth games well in time.. I have got a very simple and blunt answer.. People may be cynical of my answer but I have learnt that we Indians simply dont want to change ourselves.. Perhaps the best example in support of my answer is that there is no individual success story in China when we have a multitude of such stories.. It simply reflects our commitment level and dedication to the nation.. How can we expect ourselves to grow when I see every-one around me fighting for personal recognition..

I dont think there's a point in saying that we need to do something heavy for the nation.. But there are some small steps and habits that we need to cultivate.. Coming back to the story, lets talk of the point where I left.. After the discussion when things turned to normal from the heat of the debate, I was remarked by one of the fellows as to what difference my habit of switching off lights, tapping running water, or throwing litter in the dustbin made when everybody else was acting on the contrast to me.. I passed a smile on his face.. I didn't utter a word because I knew he wasnt going to change himself { perennial problems of Indians }.. But I learnt one thing from the incident that it doesn't take a word but actions to do something good.. Answering everyone vociferously is not a solution.. It is a part of a social malaise.. But it kept me firm on my action because if my friend can be intimidated by my action someone else can be inspired by my action and who knows if it takes us less than fifty years to lead the world.. I am energised when someone criticises me. Nothing suites better in this occasion than these words of the legend Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi :

" BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO BE IN THE SOCIETY " ...